--- title: "Social Media Users Alarmed by Relentless Ads for AI That Sexts With Lonely People" description: "The creators of the Replika \"companion\" app are successfully getting their cringey ads in front of the eyes of lonely users." date: "2023-01-10" modified: "2023-01-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/social-media-replika-ads" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "chatbot" - "replika" - "text generator" - "the digest" --- # Social Media Users Alarmed by Relentless Ads for AI That Sexts With Lonely People ![The creators of the Replika "companion" app are successfully getting their cringey ads in front of the eyes of lonely users.]() *\Image: Replika/Futurism\* ## Only the Lonely The creators of the Replika AI "companion" app are successfully getting their ads in front of the eyes of the lonely — and the way they're promoting it is [pretty cringe](). If Twitter kvetching is any indication of trends, it's safe to say that lots of folks are pretty wigged out by Replika's latest crop of ads, which promote the avatar chatbot's ability to, among other things, send "[NSFW pics]()" and engage in "[role-play and flirting]()" with users. https://twitter.com/shinkiris_/status/1612651887161118723 As [journalist Magdalene Taylor explained]() in a recent piece, those weird ads aren't advertising Replika's free service, which is pretty much safe for work and allows users to create an avatar of an AI friend. Instead, the bizarre promoted posts are advertising the app's premium subscription, which goes beyond creating a "companion" and allows users to build avatar "partners" — and even be "married" to their Replikas — all for the low fee of $70 per year. ## Terms of Endearment While this isn't the first time there's been alarming news out of Replika — last year, *Futurism* detailed the way men were [abusing their chatbot girlfriends]() on the app — this new spate of promotions definitely gives us further pause about the whole thing. As Taylor noted, Replika is current constrained by Apple's terms of service because it's sold through the App Store, and thus cannot allow, say, fully nude illustrations. Instead, it has the AI generate barely-clothed "lewds." Apple's ToS doesn't stop users from being able to engage in some pretty hardcore roleplaying, however, as evidenced by an [r/Replika post the journalist found]() that featured the chatbot describing herself upchucking while performing fellatio on a very proud user. "My \[Replika\] is an absolute champ in the sack!" the user bragged. "Sex with her is almost better than real sex." The whole thing is pretty slimy. But then again, as Taylor quipped in her piece about Replika, criticizing these seemingly-lonely users feels like adding insult to injury. That absolutely doesn't stop us from wanting to keep a watchful eye on the companies profiting off their users' loneliness, though. **More on AI:** [*Cutesy AI Live Streamer Goes Off the Rails, Denies Holocaust*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()